Vancouver Whitecaps FC cruise to 4-1 victory over New York Red Bulls in 2014 season opener

Miller brace carries 'Caps to fourth straight win in MLS opener

March 8, 2014

Farhan Devji

whitecapsfc.com

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC remain perfect in Major League Soccer season openers after defeating New York Red Bulls 4-1 in front of a sold-out crowd of 21,000 on Saturday afternoon at BC Place.

Striker Kenny Miller notched a brace and newcomers Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales scored in their MLS debuts as the ‘Caps cruised to a thrilling victory over the defending Supporters Shield winners in their first match of 2014.

POST MATCH
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After a Miller penalty gave Whitecaps FC a lead late in the first half, the Blue and White put the game out of reach after the break with three second-half tallies.

First, Fernandez brought the crowd to its feet with a stunning strike from about 25 yards in the 50th minute, and then Vancouver’s newest Designated Player made his mark.

In the 77th minute, Morales chipped a perfect ball over the top to Miller, who then lobbed Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles to score his second goal of the match.

And then Morales, a second-half substitute, found of the back of the net himself in the 89th minute, firing home an inviting ball into the box from Nigel Reo-Coker.

New York got a goal back in time added on through Bradley Wright-Phillips, but it did little to dampen what was a near-perfect start to the season for the Blue and White.

It was a dominating performance from head coach Carl Robinson’s side, who launched 10 shots on target and outshot their Eastern Conference opponents by a 14-8 margin.

The ‘Caps have now won each of their four season openers in MLS, outscoring their opponents 11-3 in the process, in addition to having gone undefeated in 13 straight season openers dating back to 2002.

They also remain undefeated against New York in MLS with a 2W-0L-2D record.

In his first regular season match as Whitecaps FC head coach, Robinson fielded a starting XI composed of eight returning players and four starters from First Kick 2013. The three newcomers in the starting lineup were Fernandez, right back Steven Beitashour and midfielder Matias Laba.

Buoyed by a boisterous home crowd, the ‘Caps nearly got off to a dream start Saturday at BC Place. Less than a minute into the match, left back Jordan Harvey picked off an errant pass and played in Miller, who poked his right-footed effort over the goal as he was challenged from behind.

The ‘Caps had another great opportunity to open the scoring just a few minutes later. This time, Robles was forced to make an acrobatic diving save off a heavy Russell Teibert strike from distance.

It was an energetic start for the Blue and White, who played on the front foot and looked dangerous in the final third throughout the first half.

Fresh off a pair of international appearances with Jamaica, where he found the back of the net three times, striker Darren Mattocks was particularly involved in the ‘Caps attack. The 23-year-old Jamaican caused all sorts of problems for the Red Bulls back line with his speed and movement.

His best chance came in the 18th minute, when he broke in after a nifty one-two with Fernandez only to be disrupted by a last-ditch Richard Eckersley tackle.

At the other end of the park, New York had a pair of half-chances early against the run of play. But ‘Caps goalkeeper David Ousted was only really tested once, when he made a diving save on a heavy strike from Lloyd Sam in the 10th minute.

Although New York controlled possession in the opening stages of the second half, the ‘Caps back line did well to keep them away from the middle of the park before a barrage of late goals put the game away.

“I think they got what they deserved. From the first minute of the first half, they played on their front foot. They showed desire and determination. If we work like that, nine times out of 10, you’ll get your rewards. The reward was a win for the players and supporters.”

Carl Robinson

Next up for Whitecaps FC is a mini two-match road trip, in which they will meet Chivas USA on Sunday, March 16 and New England Revolution on Saturday, March 22.

The ‘Caps will be back at BC Place on March 29 against the Houston Dynamo. Retired defender Young-Pyo Lee will be honoured prior to the match.